


Love (and Swords)

by Death_By_QT (Long_Time_QT)



Category: The Two Princes (Podcast)
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Heartbreak, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-07 03:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20302798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Long_Time_QT/pseuds/Death_By_QT
Summary: Sir Joan and Lady Cecily discuss the concept of love.





	Love (and Swords)

“Lady Cecily?” Joan said, surprised to find the girl crying behind a rack of swords in the armoury and immediate started to check her over for injuries. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” 

“Not- not physically,” Cecily choked back a sob. “Just- just-“

Cecily’s tears came at full force.

“Whoa, hey, it’s okay,” Joan said, unsure how to comfort the distressed girl when she wasn’t even sure what the problem was. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Cecily sniffed. “It’s just like… okay, I know that the East and the West have to join together and that the princes are happy and like, so in love and whatever. But it’s just, I was so convinced that Prince Rupert and I would be together forever.”

“Uh… okay?”

“And it’s not that I don’t like Amir or anything. He’s like, super great and stuff, and he makes my Rupie so happy, but it’s just so hard when someone you’ve been like, super crazy in love with or whatever goes off and gets engaged to someone else. Do you know what I mean?”

“No, I mean, yes. But can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

Joan worried her lip, unsure of how she should phrase this. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but did you even really know the prince?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I knew him! I’m second vice president of the Prince Rupert fanclub, I’ve been to like all his ribbon cuttings, I have every poster ever made of him up on my bedchamber wall—“

“What I mean is,” Joan hurried before Cecily could work herself into another fit, “before all the forest stuff happened at the ball, did you even have a conversation with him?”

“Not in so many words,” Cecily said, drawing her legs close to her chest and resting her head on her knees. “But I just thought that maybe once he met me he’d like, I don’t know. He’d see my feelings and everything would just click into place and we’d like, ride a unicorn into the sunset and live happily ever after in a cloud castle or something.”

“Uh, okay. There are several problems with that.”

“I know, like where’d we even get a unicorn in this economy?”

“Yes,” Joan said, hesitant to continue her thought. “But you do realize that this fantasy is just that? Love, real love, is so much more than obsession and unicorns.”

“Oh really?” Cecily scoffed. At least she wasn’t crying anymore. “And what exactly do you know about love? What are you, some kind of expert or something?”

“Well, I um… true, I don’t think I’ve ever been in love myself, but I’ve seen love go wrong enough times to work out what makes it right.”

“What do you mean?”

“My dad,” Joan cleared her throat and continued. “My dad and my mom were in love, or so they said. I never really believed them because how could two people love each other if they couldn’t even be in the same room without threatening to bludgeon each other with furniture?”

“That is like, so messed up. No offence.”

“None taken,” Joan agreed. “It was pretty messed up. Sometimes I think it was the stress of it all that killed her. Well, that and the heat stroke. But I learned that it’s not enough to just say you’re in love. Love needs more than just empty sentiments and a few kind gestures. To be in love, you need to work constantly at it. You can’t just keep this idea of love in your heart and ignore reality.

“It’s not enough to just look at someone and think, ‘yes, this is the person I will love’ and then ignore everything else. You have to take reality and make it better. You can’t just hear the other person; you need to listen to them and they need to listen to you. It’s reciprocal.”

Cecily just stared at Joan, who grew increasingly self-conscious. She cleared her throat and looked away from Cecily.

“At least, that’s just what I think.”

“How would you work at love?”

“What?”

“I mean, like, if you wanted to work at love, what would you do?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Joan shrugged. “I mean, if I liked someone I’d… I’d probably go for a walk. Get to know them? Keep learning more about them. Maybe stop in a field and pick some flowers or talk about swords—“

“Swords?” Cecily smiled and Joan felt the tips of her ears heat up.

“I like swords. There’s a whole lot more to them than people think, and not just from a combat perspective. The whole thing is an art, really.”

“I think I know what you mean,” Cecily said. “It’s like with jewelry.”

“Jewelry?”

“Yea. Like, okay. You have metal, right? And you have a design for what you want to make. You heat it, you craft it, you add the little accoutrements. And by the end you have something lovely and glistening. It’s more than just the technical skill, which is beautiful in and of itself, but it’s also like, the style and versatility. It’s something greater than the sum of its parts.”

“That’s… actually what I meant,” Joan smiled back at Cecily. “I wouldn’t have made that connection to jewelry, but that’s exactly it.”

Cecily flipped her hair over her shoulder with a proud smile. “Not just a pretty face.”

“Yea, you’re smart pretty. Or uh, I mean pretty smart. I never knew you were into swords.”

“I never used to be,” Cecily said as she reached behind her and grabbed a sword off the rack. She held it up and admired the hilt with soft eyes. Gorgeous, glistening, wonderfully soft eyes.

Joan snapped herself out of her admiration and focused on the sword. Where had that come from?

“I guess going to that forest really changed you, huh?”

“I guess so,” Cecily agreed. “Thanks. For talking to me about all this.”

“Oh, uh, no problem.” Joan met her gaze again. Something passed between them, but it wasn’t a something Joan could identify. “I, uh, I hope it helped.”

“You know, I think it did.” Cecily smiled and Joan had to keep her gaze from drifting down to those perfect lips. Seriously, what was wrong with her? “You’re like, really articulate.”

“Huh? Oh, uh, thanks, Lady Cecily.”

“Just Cecily is fine.”

“Okay… Cecily.”

Colour bloomed in Cecily’s cheeks and she immediately moved to her feet, using the sword to aid her. After straightening out and dusting off her skirts, Cecily held out a hand to Joan.

“Come on.”

“Okay,” Joan said, taking Cecily’s hand and getting to her feet as well. “What are we doing?”

“You’re going to teach me more about swords,” Cecily said. “You know, like how to actually use one. Trial by fire was okay in the forest, but like, I definitely need to work on my form. Un-unless of course you’re busy.”

“Oh, no. Not at all! I’d love to work on your form. That is- I mean—“

Cecily laughed and nodded to the doorway. “Let’s go.”

“Yea,” Joan smiled, “let’s.” 

They walked out the door, hand in hand.


End file.
